Device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club

ABSTRACT

A golf marker holder has a body. An anchor extends from the body and is adapted to be received by an opening within the grip of a golf club handle. An open-ended slit is formed within the body and dimensioned to receive a marker. The slit defines the travel path within the body for the marker. A biasing member is disposed within the body to operatively communicate with the slit to maintain a tension fit against a marker as a marker moves through the slit along the travel path.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a device for holding a golf ball marker, in particular, a device that is capable of being secured on a retrofit basis to a golf club such as a putter and holding a golf ball marker therein.

Golf ball markers are well known in the art and primarily take the form of small dime-sized disks capable of being carried in the pocket of the user. Golf ball markers, as they are known, are used by players to mark their particular ball so as not to interfere with the play of others, and to allow the removal of a ball in play for cleaning or maintenance. It is customary, particularly on the green, for the player closer to the hole to remove his ball to permit a player farther away from the hole to putt without interference. In order to keep track of and maintain the removed ball's original position, a marker, usually a small disk such as a coin or a specially designed piece is placed where the ball had been.

These disks or markers in and of themselves are satisfactory. However, they need to be carried in a manner that is convenient to the player around the course during play. Although a pocket may seem an obvious place in which to carry the marker while golfing, the player's pocket may be full of tees, spare golf balls, change or the like, making it inconvenient and cumbersome to fish the marker out of the pocket, particularly when the player is wearing golf gloves.

Various devices have been developed to carry a golf ball marker around the course including forming the marker as a snap button on a golf glove, forming the marker as a magnetic pin affixable to clothing and, even as known from U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,858,925 and 3,774,913, mechanisms for removably affixing the golf ball marker to a golf club. However, each of these devices requires a specially crafted golf marker to interact with the carrying mechanism. Therefore, if one were to misplace or lose the marker, the player must purchase a new specially designed marker to use as a replacement.

Accordingly, a system, which overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art, is desired.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A golf marker holder has a body. An anchor extends from the body and is adapted to be received by an opening within the grip of a golf club handle. An open-ended slit is formed within the body and dimensioned to receive a marker. The slit defines the travel path within the body for the marker. A biasing member is disposed within the body to operatively communicate with the slit to maintain a tension fit against a marker as a marker moves through the slit along the travel path.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the device, showing the inner mechanism, constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the device constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the device in use showing a golf club in phantom in accordance with the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made to FIG. 1 in which a device, generally indicated as 100 for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club is provided. Device 100 includes a body 110. Body 110 includes an anchor member 112 extending from a bottom surface 114 of body 110. Anchor member 112 includes a shaft 116 and a chamfered head 118 formed with shaft 116 and spaced from body 110 by shaft 116. In a preferred non-limiting embodiment, shaft 116 is threaded to be received by body 110 and extends into body 110 as will be described later.

A retaining member 120 (FIG. 2) is formed on body 110 and is spaced from a top surface 124 of body 1 10. Body 110 cooperates with overhanging retaining member 120 to form a closed end slot 122. Slot 122 is dimensioned to receive a golf marker such as some specially designed or customized flat disk as known in the art, or a dime or penny as is also commonly used in golf play.

It should be noted that retaining member 120 can form slot 122 so long as there is a space between overhang member 120 and top surface 124 of body 110. Slot 122 may be formed by a substantially horseshoe-shaped member 120 so that the marker is caught at the edges and access is allowed to slot 122 and to the majority of the marker for ease of removal by a thumb or finger. However, for additional retention it may be preferred that overhanging retaining member 120 is formed to substantially overlap the entirety of top surface 124 of body 110 with a niche cutout 126 to provide a region for grasping the marker for removal.

A biasing member 130 is disposed within body 110 (FIG. 3). Biasing member 130 extends into slot 122 along a slide path generally indicated as arrow A of a marker 128 as it enters slot 122. In a preferred embodiment, biasing member 130 includes a spring member 132. A rounded surface, preferably a ball bearing 134 or the like is disposed upon spring 132 so that spring 132 biases the ball bearing through an opening 136 of top surface (slot floor) 124 into the slide path. In this way, marker 128 is biased by ball bearing 134 against retaining member 120 to maintain marker 128 within slot 122 by tension or friction fit.

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 in which a marker is shown in use. As is known in the art, golf clubs are made with grips. Each grip includes an opening at the top of the grip. The opening is there to release trapped air during the golf club assembly process. Device 100 is affixed to a golf club 200 at the opening 202 within grip 204. Anchor 112 is adapted to be inserted into opening 202 of grip 204. The chamfered surface of tip 118 passes through opening 202 with the application of some, but not excessive pressure on body 110 in the direction of anchor 118. The tip diameter of tip 118 is smaller at its distal end than opening 202, but greater than opening 202 at its proximal end, and therefore passes through opening 202 by forcing opening 202 open. Opening 202 recovers to return to a diameter less than the proximal end of tip 118 thereby securing anchor 112 within grip 204 of golf club 200.

A marker 122 such as a coin or a custom marker is slid in the direction of arrow A along a slide path into slot 122. Marker 128 deflects bearing 134 against the bias of spring 132 as marker 122 moves along the slide path. Ball bearing 134 pushes against marker 122 to bias and force marker 122 against retaining member 120 to retain marker 122 within slot 122. In this manner, marker 128 is secured within body 110, which now travels with club 200. Therefore, the marker is always handy and readily accessible to the golfer.

It should be noted that in this embodiment that biasing member 130 includes a spring and ball bearing construction However, biasing member 130 could be simply a spring 132 with a chamfer around its surface extending through opening 136 or even a chamfered surface within the slide path affixed to floor 124 or formed with floor 124 in which the marker slides over a smooth raised surface at one or more points of contact to pin marker 128 against retaining member 120. This may take the form of one or more detents or bumps formed along floor 124 along the slide path.

By making a body member utilizing a slide path with a bias member therein, the entire structure being capable of being anchored to the grip of a golf club, the present inventions provides a structure for maintaining a golf ball marker of almost any common type near play without the need for special marker structure. In this way, if one were to inadvertently lose their marker, the invention is still capable of operating with a coin or any replacement marker capable of fitting within the slot. A universal, simple construction, easy to use and readily available device is thus provided that allows for keeping a golf marker handy without the need for any special structured marker or retrofitting of any golf apparatus or clothing.

Although exemplary and preferred aspects and embodiments of the present invention have been described with a full set of features, it is to be understood that the disclosed device may be practiced successfully without the incorporation of some of those features. Thus, it must be further understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

1. A device for securing a golf ball marker to a golf club comprising: a body; an anchor extending from the body, the anchor conformed to be affixed to a golf club; an open ended slit formed within the body, the slit dimensioned to receive a golf ball marker, the slit defining a travel path within the body; and a biasing member disposed within the body and extending into the travel path.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein said anchor includes a shaft extending from said body and a chamfered tip extending from said shaft spaced from said body.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein said biasing member includes a spring disposed within said body.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein said biasing member further comprises a ball bearing disposed on said spring, said ball bearing displaceably extending into said slide path.
 5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a retaining member, the retaining member forming an upper surface for the slot disposed within said body, the retaining member being dimensioned to retain a marker within the slot, the biasing member biasing a marker against the retaining member to maintain a marker within the slot.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the retaining member is formed as a horseshoe.
 7. A device for securing a marker to a golf club comprising: a body; an anchor extending from the body, the anchor conformed to be affixed to a golf club, the anchor including a shaft extending from said body and a chamfered tip extending from said shaft spaced from said body.; an open ended slit formed within the body, the slit dimensioned to receive a golf marker, the slit defining a travel path within the body; and a biasing member disposed within the body and extending into the travel path, said biasing member includes a spring disposed within said body, and a ball bearing disposed on said spring, said ball bearing displaceably extending into said slide path. 